The Gift - Hardcover

Flusfeder, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0007157738 ISBN 13: 9780007157730

Publisher: Fourth Estate, 2003

Synopsis

'This fever dream of masculine anxiety and the bad manners of affluence resolves into something unexpectedly wise and generous: a complete story and a very good one.'

Jonathan Franzen

Philip has a lot on his mind. At home, in his unnecessarily large, excessively expensive house in south London, he is attempting to become a Taoist master of love with his wife Alice, but his quest is forever being interrupted by the requests of his twin daughters: Can we have a pony – please? I want to go to boarding school – please? At work, in his shed/office at the bottom of the garden, between countless games of Minesweep and FreeCell, Philip is trying to pay the mortgage by writing instruction manuals for Korean bread-making machines. And, at parties where he is concerned that he is not taken seriously (he has been variously mistaken as a doctor/waiter and sinologist) Philip tells the world he is a scriptwriter, even though all he has managed to pen is a story he calls Wang the Unlucky Scholar.

But, above all, Philip is worrying about his best friends Sean and Barry. The problem is simple: they give great presents. Their gifts are exquisite: a full set of Italian crockery, a handmade corkscrew from Venice. They give them indiscriminately: on birthdays, at parties and quite often for no reason whatsoever. And, most distressingly, these presents break all bounds of generosity: two FA Cup Final tickets beside the royal box, a skiing holiday for Philip's entire family. These are gifts that hurt a man's pride, these are gifts that can never be matched.

About this title

Review:

'THE GIFT is the best book you'll give yourself all year. Don't waste it on anyone else – they don't deserve it.’

Will Self

From the Back Cover:

Phillip has a lot on his mind. At home, in his unnecessarily large, excessively expensive house in south London, he is attempting to become a Taoist master of love with his wife, Alice, but his quest is forever being interrupted by the requests of his twin daughters – 'Can we have a pony, please?'; 'We want to go to boarding school'. At work, in his shed/office at the bottom of the garden, between countless games of Minesweeper and FreeCell, Phillip is trying to pay the mortgage by writing the instructions to Korean bread-making machines. And, at parties where he is concerned that he is not taken seriously – he is variously mistaken as a waiter and a nose doctor – Phillip tells the world he is in fact a screenwriter.

Above all, Phillip is worrying about his best friends Barry and Sean. They are rich, more successful than him and, most worryingly, they give great presents. Their gifts are always exquisite – a full set of Italian crockery, a handmade corkscrew from Venice; they give them on birthdays, at parties and quite often for no reason whatsoever; and, increasingly these presents break all bounds of generosity.

They are gifts that hurt a man's pride. They are gifts that Phillip is going to have to match, or even better.

"David Flusfeder has, with a quiet confidence that belies his considerable literary flair, slowly and methodically placed himself in the front rank of his literary generation. 'The Gift' is the best book you'll give yourself all year. Don't waste it on anyone else – they don't deserve it."
Will Self

"This fever dream of masculine anxiety and the bad manners of affluence resolves into something unexpectedly wise and generous: a complete story and a very good one."
Jonathan Franzen

About this edition

• Publisher: Fourth Estate
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0007157738
• ISBN 13: 9780007157730
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320